The Second Week of Awaiting His Advent
Before we get to the birth of Jesus, we almost always start by thinking about his mother, Mary. This is only natural—after all, that’s how the stories begin in Matthew and Luke. They go first to Mary (well, and his other relatives, but I’ll save them for a different day).
For today, we’ll start with Luke’s Gospel. After all, Luke was the investigator, the one who sought out Mary and other eyewitnesses and asked for their accounts firsthand. Let’s read Luke 1:26-38:
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” 29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” 35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible.” 38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
This is a well-known story. I’m sure I don’t need to go into too much detail on it. But, just like last week, there were one or two things that struck me as significant.
Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God…
Fear is always the reaction of one who sees God or His angels (messengers). But she had found favor. In a moment, she would know what that would mean…to be honest, it wasn’t particularly pleasant.
Because she had found favor, she would be pregnant “out of wedlock.” She would become an outcast, and what explanation could she give? Who would understand that she conceived by the Holy Spirit? That’s just not how it works.
We are hardly faced with such extreme difficulties today. But, at the same time, finding favor with God may lead to hardship. It did for Jesus, the Man Who never had a place to lay His head, Who was shunned by the elites, Who was hated and crucified.
We may face hardship because we have found favor through Jesus. In fact, whatever favor we may have is only ours because Jesus was punished for us and gave us His favor in God’s eyes. It seems only right that in sharing His favor we share also His suffering.
Are we afraid? Afraid of the favor of God?
We have also been given the task of bearing Jesus in the world. Though not physically, we carry within us true knowledge of Who Jesus is. Instead of giving birth, our job is to see that He in all His resurrected glory is revealed to the people around us.
This is perhaps especially true at Christmas time. When so many people are celebrating with a completely wrong idea of what Christmas is all about, we have the knowledge and responsibility to share what it’s truly about.
Will we?
For with God, nothing will be impossible…
Most of the world suffers from a vague sense that Christmas carries with it a certain magic of its own. Perhaps, people think, anything is possible at Christmas. Maybe miracles will happen.
Though—as much as we may want to—we can’t believe in magic, we can certainly believe that God does amazing things, perhaps more so at Christmas. In fact, we do believe it. One of the greatest miracles of all, the virgin conception, is the birth story of Christmas.
As you go into this season, don’t forget these two things.
- Though you may be afraid, God has given you the task of bearing His Son.
- At Christmas, miracles really do happen…with God, all things are possible.
Will you be as brave as Mary? Will you believe what God has said?
He gave Mary a sign in the pregnancy of her relative, a woman long past the age of childbearing.
What sign has He given you? Are you open to receiving it? And, even if it looks more painful or frustrating than you expected, are you willing to take it and complete the task of bearing His Son, no matter how painful it may be?
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